Conveying apparatus



Patented Aug. 9, i898.

y J. T. CWLEY.

CNVEYNG APPARATUS.

(Appncmnn man!) 17, 169s) `(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

JAMES T. OOWLEY, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAMSON CONSOLIDATED'STORE "SERVICE COMPANY, OF NEWARK,

NEW JERSEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent lNo. 608,580, dated August 9, 1898.

' A Appnmitn mea February 17,1898. serai No. 670,622. (N0 moda.)

To av/ZZ 'whom if; may concern:

E@ inkhown that ramas T. ooWLEY, of

Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and-State ofi/Massachusetts, have invented certain new, and useful Improvements in OonveyingApparatus, of which the following is a specification. t

Myinvention relates to improvements in conveying apparatus, and especially-,to .that class'of conveying' apparatus known as cable-carriers. f'

Theobject of my inventionis to provide means on'the several tracks converging at the terminal station in order that carriers .belonging to acertain track can engage only the propelling-cable of said track when placed thereon at the terminal station and be propelled to the station to which they belong.

My invention consists of certain novel features hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a construction embodying my invention, Figure l represents a side view in perspective of a line whichis composed of an upper and a lower track'enteringthe termi nal station and representing a carrier placed upon the lupper return-'track and showing they gripping mechanism on the carriers operated by the grip-'operating mechanism to openth'e" jaws preparatory to gripping the cable; 4i-Fig. 2 isa'perspective view of part ofthe apparatus Vshovvn'inrFigf'l andillustrating the carrier Vmovedfo'rward of the position shown inY Fig. 1,'with` the'jawsof the grippingY mechanism'V around' the .cable preparatory to gripping thesame. Fig. Sis a detail side view of part of the apparatus shown'in'Figfl andv looking from the opposite side to thatrshown in Fig. l. Fig. 4t illustrates aportion of the view shown in Fig. 3 with the cable pulled downward from its normalpositiomf Fig.v 5 is an end view in perspective, flooking at the front end of the carrier..

Like letters of reference refer-to like parts throughout the several views. ,l

The return-trackA is composed-of the two opposite rails A', which are .supported and firmly secured tothe standard B atthe terminal'station. The rails A'fnearlthe'standardA Bare spread out of a straight line to form ,the opening A2 at which point the car- 'rien is applied to the return-track to be propelled to the salesman or clerk from whom it came. .The carrier is Vadapted to engage with the cablejE,running-v over... the pulleys O, mounted in the lugsvD of jthestandard B and connected toand driven by suitable ,driving mechanism. .The carrier Fis provided -with a cover F', held ina Yclosed position by a suitable spring-catch, which'upon being operated by the push-button F2 'releases the cover F', and the springF.3 will throw up the cover F', and open theinteriorof the carrier. y F' represents suitable switching pins or lugs` on `.the carriers -by meansof which the carriers'are switched at their respecti've'stations. These lugsare placed in different positions on the carriers V:to correspond with switch-guides at different stations along the line, so that the carriers may be switched at thestations to which they belong.

4The lever G is provided with a pin G', upon 'which -the gripping jaws G2 are pivotally mounted, and said lever is journaled in the lugs G3 on the rear side of the carrier. yThese 4rjaws G2 are each provid ed with a cam-slotG4, I(see Fig. 5,) which work upon the stud G5,

sec uredto the end ofthe carrier,and said cam- Aslots G4 areof such formgthat the jaws will be opened as thedever Gis lloweredin posiation tocanse .the jawsLG2,..t o Vengage with the ycable E. Y. (See Figl.) .-jlVhen the lever G is ,released from` its?. downwardA position, the lspring GG, locatedatthe back of the carrier and around the lever G,willoperate to raise said lever and close the jaws. G2 onthe propelling-cable E. r

The/'construction of the jaws above described and the lever for operating the same form no part of this invention, as the same is shown, described,.and .claimed in United 'States' Letters Patent issued to the Lamson Consolidated Store Service Company, of Newark, VNew Jersey, as my. assignee, on January 5, 189,7, andnumbered 574,715.

` 4-H`is a plateQsecured `to the ,bottomlo'f the carrier by screws -H', and said plate' is provided with ears H2, which are adapted to'pass under the rails 'A' ofthe trackA and holdthe IOO carrier thereon, as said ears extend beyond said rails A', excepting where said rails are bulged at A'J to permit the carrier being placed thereon. ll represent frictionaollors mounted upon the screws ll' and free to revolve thereon, and the object ot these rollers is to prevent friction as the carrier is traveling along the track, around the corners, and into the stations.

On the extension K of the brace J there is pivoted on the pin L' the cam-plate L near the standard B, and said cam-plate is held in its operative position (see Fig. 23) by the spring L2, which at its free end bears against the pin I!E on said plate and holds said plate upwardly and at its other end is secured to the eXtension K by bolts L1. The cam-plate L in its movements is guided by the pin L, working in the slot L on the extension K. Then a carrier has been placed on the wrong track and has been pushed beyond the cam-plate and the grip has closed without taking up the cable, said carrier can be moved rearwardly, with the lever G moving along the upper edge of the cam-plate, and said plate will yield and allow the carrier to be moved rearwardly and to be taken from said track and placed upon its proper track. To the lower end and on the inner side of said e,\'- tension K there is pivot-ally mounted at M' the arm M, having a slot M2 in its upper edge, and to said arm M at Mthereis pivotallysecured the rod N, which rod, extending rearwardly in the direction ot the standard l5, is pivotally connected at O' to the arm O, secured fast on the shaft P', journaled in the lugs l?? ot the rail-brace l). Secured fast on said shaft l" by a suitable sleeve Q is ahook Q', the upper end of which extends over the cable E, as shown.

A number-of lines similar to that illustrated enter the terminal station, and itn the cashier in returning the carrier to the clerk or salesman fronrwhom it came should place it on the track to which it belongs the pin GT of the lever G will register with the slot M2 of the arm lil, as shown in Fig. 2, and as the lover G passes beyond the end of the cam plate L the lever G will move up by reason ot the spring l, andthe jaws G2, being around the cable E, will grip the same and the carrier will be propelled on the track to the salesman from whom it came.

lf the carrier should be placed on the wrong return-track and is pushed forward by the cashier, as is the case in all cable systems, until the grip engages the cable, the pin GT will not register with the slot M2 on said track, but will bear against the upper end of said arm M and move it from its vertical position (shown in Figs. l and il) to thatshown in Fig. i, in which position it will be seen that the pin G7, having moved the arm M to a slanting position, as shown, will pass over the upper edge thereof, but in moving said arm to said slanting position the rod N, connected to said arm M, will pull the arm O to the position shown in Fig. fl', and said arm t), being fast on the shaft P', willlcausc said shaft to move, and with it the hook Q' will move to the position shown in Fig. Ll, thereby pulling the cable F from its normal position, as shown in Figs. l, Q, and F5, to that shown in Fig. l-.

It is obvious that as the lever G passes under the end of the cam-plate L and moves upwardly by reason ofthe spring G", as shown in Figs. l and 2, the jaws will not close upon the cable E, as said cable has been pulled from its normal position between the jaws, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to that shown in Fig. t and consequently the carrier will not be propelled along the track. In this case the cashier will remove the carrier and place it upon its proper return-track, whenthe pin G7 will pass through the slot M2 and the cable will be gripped by the gripping-jaws G2, as hereinbcfore described, and the carrier will be propelled to the station from which it came.

The carriers are sent to the terminal or cashiers station from the salesmons stations on the lower forwarding-track S, composed ot the opposite rails S', and said rails are bnlgcd at S2, the same as the track A at A2, in order to allow the carriers to be removed, as the distance between the rails S' at Si! is greater than the distance between the ears H2 of the plate ll, secured to the bottom of the carrier. The rods S3, located on opposite sides of the rails S', serve to keep the carriers on the forwarding-track as they pass into the terminal or cashiers station.

S" represents a suitable bumper against which the carriers strike when coming in on the return-track S, and is a suitable brace connecting the rails S' and holding them in their proper positions.

It will be understood that the pins GT and the slots M2 are so arranged that the pin G7 on the carriers belonging to a certain track will register with the slot M2 ot the arm M oi' said track, so that the gripping mechanism ot the carriers belonging to a certain track will grip only the cable of said track.

From the above description it will be understood that although several cable-lines, each composed ot an upper and lower track and similar in construction with the exception of the location of the slot M2, enter the terminal station from different parts of the store, yet by the mechanism above described should the carriers become mixed at the terminal station and be placed on the returntrack of the wrong line the gripping mechanism ot the carriers wrongly placed will not grip the cable of said line and be propelled thereon, as hereinbefore described. Consequently the carriers ruiming into the terminal or cashiers station on the several tracks can only be propelled on the tracks to which they belong to the station from which they were received.

I do not limit myself to the arrangement and construction shown, as the same may bc IOO IOS

IIO

' grip-operating mechanism on the return-track at said terminal station, and mechanism at said terminal station adapted when actuatedv by the movement of` a carrier placed on the Wrong return-track to engage and remove the propelling-cable .away from engagement with the gripping mechanism of the carrier.

2. In a conveying apparatus, the combination of a forwarding and a return track and propelling-cable with a terminal station into which the tracks .enter, carriers adapted to travel on said tracks each provided with a gripping mechanism for engaging the cable, grip-operating mechanism on the returntrack at said terminal station, and mechanism at said terminal station in position to e11- gage the cable, the gripping mechanism on the carrier belonging to a certain track and the said cable-engaging mechanism of said track being provided with registering parts whereby only carriers belonging to a certain track can grip the cable of said track and be propelled thereon.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this Sth day of February, 1898.

JAMES T. COWLEY.

Witnesses:

A. L. MESSER, C'. A. STEWART. 

